The fabrication of semiconductor devices, such as logic and memory devices, typically includes processing a semiconductor device using a large number of semiconductor fabrication and metrology processes to form various features and multiple layers of the semiconductor device. Some fabrication processes utilize photomasks/reticles to print features on a semiconductor device such as a wafer. As semiconductor devices become smaller and smaller, it becomes critical to develop enhanced inspection and review devices and procedures to increase the resolution, speed, and throughput of wafer and photomask/reticle inspection processes.
One semiconductor device fabrication technology includes fabricating the semiconductor device via the application of multiple coating layers to one or more surfaces of a semiconductor wafer. Semiconductor devices are typically fabricated to meet a selected set of device shape and/or size requirements (e.g., wafer flatness or wafer thickness). However, the various process steps necessary to fabricate the semiconductor device, as well as variation in the thickness of layers during application, can result in deformation (e.g., elastic deformation) that results in distortion of the semiconductor device.
Semiconductor device distortions may be out-of-plane (OPD) or in-plane (IPD), and may lead to errors (e.g., patterning errors). Measured OPD and/or IPD is one type of data that may be provided in a feed forward loop or a feedback loop to adjust the various semiconductor fabrication and/or metrology processes within the tool cluster. For example, measuring the OPD of a semiconductor device may be utilized to predict IPD of the semiconductor device. However, the metrology processes to measure the OPD and/or the IPD are typically separate from the fabrication processes to fabricate the semiconductor devices.
OPD and/or IPD may form after a layer is deposited onto the wafer. Although it may be beneficial to measure between deposition steps of the fabrication processes, it can be costly and/or time-intensive to remove and replace the partially-fabricated semiconductor devices from the semiconductor device processing tool clusters.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a system and corresponding method that cures the shortcomings as described above.